Meet MoMo!

Have you experienced a time when you felt like something was missing in your life? In my younger days, I remember that I wanted to adopt a child who was living an unstable life without love, care, or compassion. I wanted to provide a life for this child that is filled with stability, daily routines, skill-teaching, and guidance. I was not able to go forward with this because I had a full-time plus hours that I needed to spend to build my business, plus taking care of a daughter with a head injury and a son who was shy. I didn't have a minute of time to give to anyone else at that time.

Now, years later... I started to get the same feeling again. For the last four months, since my dog Max passed away, I've been thinking that I want to give a new beginning to an animal who is living under the hands of human cruelty. I searched and searched, trying to find a dog who needed a new start in life. I went through so many disappointments that by the end of April, I decided to give up on looking for a dog. I felt like the universe was harshly telling me to give up because this is not what you should be doing at this time of your life. So I decided to let go because it just wasn't meant for me and that there was nothing I could do about it.

Have you experienced something like this in your life? After trying and trying without any results, you just throw up your hands up and let the idea go?

Well, I should have known. This is one of the most powerful mindsets that we are able to practice. Lo and behold, once you let something go, a window opens and a pleasant surprise came flowing in!

Take a look, this photo was sent to me by Ginger's Pet Rescue. The note said, this dog was rescued from a Korean meat market camp and living a life under cruel treatment. I waited on pins and needles for the time to arrive and went to meet MoMo (the name I gave her means PEACH in Japanese) on April 7 at 1:45 PM. She survived her 19 hours of a flight packed in a kennel with another dog. She was so scared that she didn't come out of her crate for a long time. She was finally coaxed out by a volunteer who worked for Ginger's Pet Rescue. When she made her first eye contact with me, my heart melted. Her eyes were hidden behind tufts of shaggy hair and her body shape covered by overgrown fur was not even detectable. She looked bewildered and sad, not knowing where she was.

I wanted to hold her to let her know that everything will be fine. Sian, the lead intake coordinator from Ginger's Pet Rescue said, "No, not yet. You have to take care of the paperwork first". After going through the paperwork came a lecture on how to be a responsible owner of a dog who has been through brutal handlings in a Korean dog camp. I then realized that these dogs need very special handling skills to get them acclimated to their new life in the US. "Remember, everything is new to these dogs, new smells, new language, and new people. Please guide them slowly with understanding and compassion," she said.

Finally, it was time to go home together. Momo did not want to come with me. I gently pulled her to my car and opened the back door and asked her to get in. She pulled away from me and the open car door and tried to run in a different direction. Two volunteers helped me to pull MoMo into the back seat of the door. She sat on the seating shaking like a leaf. When my husband, Tom started the car and drove towards our destination, she got very scared even though I was there in the backseat with her, gently rubbing her back to calm her. The photo below shows how scared she was. She laid her head on my lap and remained very still during our 40-minute drive back to our condo.

What happened when we reached home? Please stay posted and I will continue to share MoMo's Journey.